Silicon photonic circuits complexity, density, and number of elements is growing as photonics gradually enters telecommunications products. Some large switch matrixes may have several hundred components in a single circuit. In several common switch architectures, some optical waveguides must be terminated. The termination of optical waveguides may also be required for other types of optical circuits and components such as those integrated into photonic platforms.
Imperfect termination causes back-reflections which are known to introduce noise in the optical signals propagating in the optical circuit or component. In a large circuit the individual noise contributions from these back-reflections can interact coherently to create unpredictable and significant impairments.
Accordingly, an improved technique for terminating waveguides is highly desirable.